On DVD: What to watch; what to avoid

A Royal Affair

IMDB photo

By Andrea Honaker

Published: Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at 04:15 PM.

“A Royal Affair”(2012) – Alicia Vikander and Mads Mikkelsen – is one of my favorite movies of 2012. I knew from the start that “A Royal Affair” was going to be a tragic tale, but I was still left with some hope that there might be a happy ending. I found myself totally immersed and captivated by the developing and increasingly dramatic plot. The acting is stellar, the music is beautiful, and the film is outstanding overall.

“The Jane Austen Book Club”(2007) – starring Kathy Baker and Emily Blunt – is about six people who start a book club and discover how relevant author Jane Austen’s words are to their owns lives. It’s a lighthearted, fun movie – with a bit of drama as well – that Austen fans and non-fans alike would enjoy. The characters and their interactions and varying insights make for an interesting dynamic.

“Me and Orson Wells”(2008) – Claire Danes, Zac Efron and Christian McKay – offers some top-notch performances and a great perspective on Orson Wells and theater in the 1930s. It’s a very memorable and well-done film. It leaves you wanting a bit more resolution in the end, but it was still hopeful enough to satisfy me.

I wasn’t too impressed with “21 Jump Street” (2012) – starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. It had some funny parts, but I had already seen the best ones in the previews. The back-and-forth banter between the two leads was pretty humorous at times, but the film was forgettable in the end.

“The Lucky One”(2012) – starring Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling – is another sweet chick flick based on a Nicholas Sparks book. The film tweaked some aspects of the novel, but nothing that mattered too much in the scheme of things. It’s probably not a film for the men folk, but I found it to be very romantic and touching.

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“A Royal Affair”(2012) – Alicia Vikander and Mads Mikkelsen – is one of my favorite movies of 2012. I knew from the start that “A Royal Affair” was going to be a tragic tale, but I was still left with some hope that there might be a happy ending. I found myself totally immersed and captivated by the developing and increasingly dramatic plot. The acting is stellar, the music is beautiful, and the film is outstanding overall.

“The Jane Austen Book Club”(2007) – starring Kathy Baker and Emily Blunt – is about six people who start a book club and discover how relevant author Jane Austen’s words are to their owns lives. It’s a lighthearted, fun movie – with a bit of drama as well – that Austen fans and non-fans alike would enjoy. The characters and their interactions and varying insights make for an interesting dynamic.

“Me and Orson Wells”(2008) – Claire Danes, Zac Efron and Christian McKay – offers some top-notch performances and a great perspective on Orson Wells and theater in the 1930s. It’s a very memorable and well-done film. It leaves you wanting a bit more resolution in the end, but it was still hopeful enough to satisfy me.

I wasn’t too impressed with “21 Jump Street” (2012) – starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. It had some funny parts, but I had already seen the best ones in the previews. The back-and-forth banter between the two leads was pretty humorous at times, but the film was forgettable in the end.

“The Lucky One”(2012) – starring Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling – is another sweet chick flick based on a Nicholas Sparks book. The film tweaked some aspects of the novel, but nothing that mattered too much in the scheme of things. It’s probably not a film for the men folk, but I found it to be very romantic and touching.